1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates in general to submersible pump systems, and in particular to an electrical coupling for connecting electrical cables between high and low pressure zones.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
In a typical oil well submersible pump installation, an electrical motor will be located downhole for rotating a centrifugal pump. Electrical conductors extend from the surface to the motor. If the wellhead is under pressure, the conductors must feed through a barrier separating high wellhead pressure from low surface pressure. Also, in some wells, downhole packers will be present. These packers may separate high and low pressure zones. A packer penetrator extends through the packer for interconnecting the electrical cable above and below the packer.
Feed-through mandrels and packer penetrators are available for providing electrical connections between different pressure zones. These devices usually have an insulation material molded around copper conductors and in a tubular housing. The amount of pressure that the prior art type can withstand is not very high, because the elastomeric insulation material tends to pull away from the sidewall during curing due to shrinkage.